Players in the domestic women's cricket competition will soon earn an average of $163,000 in Australia, as the game's governing body announced a new action plan to grow the sport.
Cricket Australia plans to increase total revenue from women's cricket by $100 million to $121 million over the next 10 years.
As part of the action plan, the WBBL regular season will be a 40-game format, bringing it on par with the men's competition, while a new domestic women's competition, the T20, will be introduced. The new competition will boost average salaries for women in the country by 8% to $163,322 in 2023-24.
Cricket Australia has also set a target of reaching an average annual attendance of 600,000 for women's cricket and increasing grassroots participation of women from 25,000 to 100,000. $500,000 will be invested in infrastructure for women and girls over the next 10 years.
On the operational side, Cricket Australia hopes to achieve 40% female representation across executive, board and community cricket roles.
She also wants the Australian women's cricket team to win gold medals at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said there was much work to do to ensure gender balance in all aspects of the game.
“We have seen what is possible in transformative moments, such as 86,174 fans packing into the MCG for the T20 World Cup final, which remains the largest ever for a women's sporting event in Australia. attendance numbers,” Hockley said.
“Through imaginative partnerships we will drive bigger crowds in our big stadiums more often, give our amazing role models the profile they deserve, and ensure gender balance in all aspects of the game. There is a lot of work to be done, including commercial growth, sustainable investment and ultimately more women and girls loving and playing cricket.”
Australian player Elise Perry noted how important the game's commercial growth was and said she was pleased to work with management on the 10-year plan.
“Australian Cricket has been at the forefront of the growth of the women's sport, providing players with the best opportunities for resources and reward. We are committed to ensuring that this commitment is not only sustained over the next decade, but significantly strengthened. It's reassuring to know that,” Perry said. she said.
“Public interest in women's sport is now undisputed as spectator numbers increase, with international and WBBL matches filling major stadiums with fans and more girls playing cricket. I'm looking forward to seeing you want to play it.”
“It is also vital that the growing interest in women’s sport is reflected in sponsorship and broadcast deals, and we hope this plan will continue to drive this growth and ensure that women’s cricket continues to thrive. .”
Image: Australian Cricket.